BAA #01-06
Networked Embedded Software Technology (NEST)
CBD Reference

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE:
NEW REQUIREMENTS/PROCEDURES 

DARPA seeks novel approaches to the design and implementation of software for networked embedded systems. Embedded information processing is becoming the primary source for superiority in weapon systems. The new wave of inexpensive MEMS-based sensors and actuators and the continued progress in photonics and communication technology will further accelerate this trend. Weapon systems will become increasingly “information rich,” where embedded monitoring, control and diagnostic functions penetrate deeper and with smaller granularity in physical component structures. Given this trend, the separation of physical and information processing architectures is not sustainable. Strong mutual interdependence requires their fusion at fine levels of granularity, i.e. the distribution of information processing among physical components. The coordinated operation of distributed embedded systems makes embedding, distribution, and coordination the fundamental technical challenge for embedded software. 

The goal of the NEST program is to enable  “fine-grain” fusion of physical and information processes. The quantitative target is to build dependable, real-time, distributed, embedded applications comprising 10^2-10^5 computing nodes. The nodes are networked, their operation is coordinated and dynamically reconfigured as a response to changing physical conditions and modes of operation. The nodes include physical and information system components coupled by sensors and actuators. Closed loop interaction between physical and information system components is an essential feature of relevant NEST applications and it differentiates the NEST program from general, ubiquitous computing directions. Potential examples for target applications include MEMS based control and health management of weapon platforms, coordinated operation and control of large groups of physical objects (weapons, munitions, vehicles), and smart structures.   

The central themes of NEST are coordination and synthesis services in networked embedded systems. Coordination services include fault tolerant, self-stabilizing protocols for time, data exchange, synchronization, and replication in large, distributed, real-time systems. Synthesis services provide time-bounded solution for complex, distributed constraint satisfaction tasks required for dynamic reconfiguration of applications. NEST will develop application independent, customizable/adaptable middleware for real-time coordination and synthesis. These services are crucial to making aggregate behavior of large networked embedded systems predictable and dependable despite local failures and upsets. The services will be designed to be optimizable for specific applications and underlying distributed computing platforms and execution contexts. The application and computing platform specific optimization of service packages will require automated composition. Support of partitioning is essential despite critical and non-critical applications sharing the same fabric.  

To demonstrate the efficacy of NEST technology, DARPA seeks convincing evaluation and demonstration platforms.  Of special interest are approaches that offer scalable, inexpensive solution for experimentation and integration studies.  

There are a total of five research areas.  Four are contained in Group I and the remainder in Group II. 

Group I research is solicited in the following technical topic areas: 

1.      Application Independent Coordination Services: This task will develop customizable, verified algorithms and code bases to support time-bounded coordination across NEST applications.  

2.      Time-bounded Synthesis: This task will develop new theory and technology for time-bounded synthesis services embedded in NEST applications. The resulting capabilities will enable synthesis of control sequences, schedules, processing configurations, resource maps, etc. - usually performed at design time - to become part of real-time (i.e. time bounded) NEST operations.

3.      Service Composition and Adaptation:  This task addresses the automated composition and customization of coordination service packages optimized to the characteristics of NEST applications and distributed computing platforms and execution contexts. The goals of this task are the fully automated design-time composition and customization of service packages, which are optimized to the actual requirements and computation/communication platforms. 

4.      Other innovative approaches to the NEST problem.  

Restrictions:   Proposals addressing more than one of the areas described above should be structured with separable options.  Group I proposals cannot respond to or address Group II research. 

Group II research is solicited in the following technical topic area: 

·        Open Experimental Platforms: Open experimental platforms include physical system and software components, related challenge problems and integration experiments that will be used for the affordable evaluation and demonstration of NEST technologies. 

Restrictions: Group II Proposals for Open Experimental Platforms research may address experimental platforms for more than one of the Group I topic areas but should not propose solutions for Group I research. 

Team efforts and cost sharing are strongly encouraged. 

PROGRAM SCOPE:   

Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches and techniques that lead to or enable revolutionary advances in the state-of-the-art.  Proposals are not limited to the specific strategies listed above, and alternative visions will be considered.  However, proposals should be for research that substantially contributes towards the goals stated.      Research should result in prototype hardware and/or software demonstrating integrated concepts and approaches.  Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvement to the existing state of practice or focuses on a specific system or solution.  Integrated solution sets embodying significant technological advances are strongly encouraged over narrowly defined research endeavors.  Proposals may involve other research groups or industrial cooperation and cost sharing. 

GENERAL INFORMATION: 

A pre-proposal conference call will be held Tuesday, October 10, 2000.  Contact one of the administrative addresses below for details regarding time, registration, and access.    

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Information Technology Office (DARPA/ITO) requires completion of a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Cover Sheet Submission for each Proposal, by accessing the URL below: 

http://www.dyncorp-is.com/BAA/index.asp?BAAid=01-06 

After finalizing the BAA Cover Sheet Submission, the proposer must submit the BAA Confirmation Sheet that will automatically appear on the web page.  Each proposer is responsible for printing the BAA Confirmation Sheet and submitting it attached to the "original" and each designated number of copies.  The Confirmation Sheet should be the first page of your Proposal.  Failure to comply with these submission procedures may result in the submission not being evaluated. 

Detailed information and instructions are outlined within the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP).  

ABSTRACT FORMAT: 

In order to minimize unnecessary effort in proposal preparation and review, proposers are strongly encouraged to submit brief proposal abstracts in advance of full proposals.  An original and 4 copies of the proposal abstract and 4 electronic copies (i.e., 4 separate disks) of the abstract (in Microsoft Word ’97 for IBM-compatible, PDF, Postscript, or ASCII format on one 3.5-inch floppy disk or one 100 MB Iomega Zip disk).  Each disk must be clearly labeled with BAA 01-06, proposer organization, proposal title (short title recommended) and Copy ___ of 4).  The proposal abstract (original and designated number of hard and electronic copies) must be submitted to DARPA/ITO, ATTN: BAA 01-06, 3701 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714, in time to reach DARPA by 4:00 PM (ET) Wednesday, November 1, 2000, to guarantee review.  Upon review, DARPA will make a recommendation to offerors either encouraging or discouraging submission of full proposals. 

PROPOSAL FORMAT: 

Proposers must submit an original and 4 copies of the full proposal and 8 electronic copies (i.e., 8 separate disks) of the full proposal (in Microsoft Word ’97 for IBM-compatible, PDF, Postscript, or ASCII format on one 3.5-inch floppy disk or one 100 MB Iomega Zip disk).  Each disk must be clearly labeled with BAA 01-06, proposer organization, proposal title (short title recommended) and Copy ___ of 8.  The full proposal (original and designated number of hard and electronic copies) must be submitted in time to reach DARPA by 4:00 PM (ET) Friday, January 5, 2001, in order to be considered.  Proposers must obtain the BAA 01-06 Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP), which provides further information on the areas of interest, submission, evaluation, funding processes, proposal abstracts, and full proposal formats.  This pamphlet may be obtained by fax, electronic mail, mail request to the administrative contact address given below, or at URL address http://www.darpa.mil/ito/Solicitations.html.  Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed.  This Commerce Business Daily (CBD) notice, in conjunction with the BAA 01-06 PIP and all references, constitutes the total BAA.  No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued.  Requests for same will be disregarded. 

The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received.  

All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA.  Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals.  However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities.

Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a scientific review of each proposal, using the following criteria which are listed in descending order of relative importance: 

(1)      Overall Scientific and Technical Merit:  The overall scientific and technical merit must be clearly identifiable.  The technical concept should be clearly defined and developed.  Emphasis should be placed on the technical value of the development and experimentation approach.  

 (2)  Innovative Technical Solution to the Problem:  Proposed efforts should apply new or existing technology in a new way such as is advantageous to the objectives.  The plan on how offeror intends to get developed technology and information to the user community should be considered. 

(3)   Potential Contribution and Relevance to DARPA Mission:  The offeror must clearly address how the proposed effort will meet the goals of the undertaking.  The relevance is further indicated by the offeror’s understanding of the operating environment of the capability to be developed. 

(4)   Offeror's Capabilities and Related Experience:  The qualifications, capabilities, and demonstrated achievements of the proposed principals and other key personnel for the primary and subcontractor organizations must be clearly shown. 

(5)   Plans and Capability to Accomplish Technology Transition:  The offeror should provide a clear explanation of how the technologies to be developed will be transitioned to capabilities for military forces.  Technology transition should be a major consideration in the design of experiments, particularly considering the potential for involving potential transition organizations in the experimentation process. 

(6)   Cost Realism:  The overall estimated cost to accomplish the effort should be clearly shown as well as the substantiation of the costs for the technical complexity described.  Evaluation will consider the value to Government of the research and the extent to which the proposed management plan will effectively allocate resources to achieve the capabilities proposed. 

All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal abstract or proposal to this BAA, must be received at one of the administrative addresses below by 4:00 PM (ET) Friday, December 29, 2000; e-mail or fax is preferred.  DARPA intends to use electronic mail and fax for some of the correspondence regarding BAA 01-06.  Proposals and proposal abstracts MUST NOT be submitted by fax or e-mail; any so sent will be disregarded. 

The administrative addresses for this BAA are: 

Fax:  703-522-7161 Addressed to: DARPA/ITO, BAA 01-06
Electronic Mail: baa01-06@darpa.mil
Electronic File Retrieval: http://www.darpa.mil/ito/Solicitations.html

Mail to:    DARPA/ITO
ATTN:  BAA 01-06
3701 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203-1714